Thursday, November 19, 2009

Crime rate in the UAE is still amongst the lowest in the world. Of course there are some robberies or thefts now and then. Generally, it is still safe and secure most of the times.

Few days ago, I absentmindedly left my car unlocked with engine running for a good one hour in a busy business area....and nobody even noticed. It is not unusual to see people park their cars with running engine while going for a short shopping or withdrawing cash from ATMs or for prayer in the mosque.

There is an interesting article from Xpress, "A Tribute to UAE's dumbest thieves".

Sleeping on the job

Two men learned the hard way that it's not a good idea to get some shut-eye while committing a robbery. After breaking into an electronic store in Deira, the thieves took swigs of liquor as they waited for the right time to escape. However, to their misfortune, they fell asleep. And for once, somebody was caught napping, literally.

Phoney talk

Another thief in need of a few more brain cells is this 23-year-old, who stole a GSM phone card from a car in Nad Al Sheba and made international calls worth Dh32,000 to his family. He was busted by his own stupidity. Because when the police called up the numbers of the outgoing calls, the thief's family identified him.

It was in his jeans

A man slipped into a Lulu Hypermarket trial room with a pair of jeans, removed its security tag, put the jeans on and casually walked away. It was an audacious plan that showed great skill and a measure of grit. But one dumb mistake did him in. Instead of throwing away the security tag, he kept it in his pocket. Sure enough, when he passed the security gate, the alarm went off. But since he was empty-handed, the store's security couldn't initially figure out what triggered the alarm until someone decided to search his pockets.

Forget me not

Those too lazy to get what they want through hard work are prone to costly shortcuts. A case in point is that of this absent-minded thief who stole a gold bracelet from a jewellery store in Deira in early 2005 and then tried to sell it to the same shop two days later. The shop assistant recognised the bracelet and alerted the cops who showed up while the thief was still haggling for a better price.

Long run

If you think it takes smarts to steal a 16-metre-long 20 tonne trailer you're dead wrong. Getting away with it — that's another story. With nowhere to hide the 18-wheeler, the thief left the monster vehicle near a garage. The trailer was easily found and the thief arrested.

Paper Trail

Forensic experts all over the world work on the premise that criminals always leave a clue behind at the scene. Cops investigating a break-in at a Bur Dubai electronic shop in November 2003 didn't have to look too far to find one. The thief had taken care to wipe off his fingerprints, but as he was scurrying away with his bounty of 17 cellphones and a laptop, he made one critical mistake. He dropped his visa papers. Needless to say, the 23-year-old was promptly arrested.

Fake ID(EA)

Flashing a fake police ID, illegal resident S.K. stopped a stranger in Naif asking him to show his identity papers. As soon as the unsuspecting man took out his wallet, S.K. snatched it and ran away. He didn't go far, because when he was digging into his pocket to take out the fake police ID, he accidentally dropped his credit card. The bumbling 25-year-old robber was nabbed even before he could spend a penny of the stolen money.

Brief's case

When panties hung out to dry started to mysteriously disappear from villas in mid- 2007, it didn't take long for residents of Ras Al Khaimah's Al Nakheel area to realise that a thief with alingerie fetish was on the loose. However, given the embarrassing nature of the theft, nobody reported the matter. Finally, an angry Egyptian woman who had seven briefs stolen in almost as many days decided enough was enough and alerted the authorities. A trap was set with CID sleuths putting up fancy women's underwear in houses around the vicinity as bait. The cops waited all night and just when they were about to call it a day, they saw a man walking around uncomfortably. It was a dead giveaway. When the 29-year-old was searched, the police found him wearing five sets of panties. Another five bags full of stolen lingerie were recovered from his closet.

Note-worthy

If ever there was an award for honest thieves, this housemaid would have won it hands down. After stealing from her Moroccan employee, she left a very implicit note on his dining table. It read: "I stole $100 [about Dh367]." After she was caught the Dubai Court of First Instance sentenced her to three months in jail.